As Complete As We'll Ever Be
by Kaori Koriryu
Summary: Sequel to Can't Just Leave It to the Guys. The ninja are still together, but have grown up and had kids, who have begun their training to be the new protectors of Ninjago. What can go wrong? Oh yeah, a cursed circus, family drama, and our favorite King Stormfire gathering another, better army is all. *Mainly focuses on the children of Kai and the children of Lloyd, no slash, sorry.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I wish Ninjago was mine, then it would never end!**

Prologue: Cold

Lloyd woke to the sound of a low whine and scratching on the monastery door. "What?" He furrowed his brow in confusion. He didn't have a pet dog.

He walked to the door and opened it, to be greeting by a sight for sore eyes. He hardly recognized the girl, now a woman; wrapped in a black cloak with a formless outfit that was darker than night. But it was her eyes... those soulful, deep eyes that had once been so cold.

"Guys!" he shouted with excitement down the hall. "Kori's back!"

There were groans as the guys woke, complaining about it. "What?" Kai grumbled, walking into the room, followed by the others.

Kori smiled and waved. "Hi," she whispered, trying not to shiver. It had been nearly five years since she was truly warm, having gone to train with her father's kitsune tribe in the mountains all those years ago.

"Kori!" A sudden impact full of warmth knocked her back.

"Woah, kid!" she chuckled, ruffling her brother's hair. "Hey Mikey. Where's Lloyd?"

Mikey was shocked speechless by the question, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly, unsure of where to begin. He had almost forgotten that she didn't know.

"I'm Lloyd." The blonde that had opened the door stepped forward and smiled, holding out a hand to each of them, helping them up.

"But, you were younger than my brother when I left!" Kori protested, looking profoundly confused when she looked from one to the other. Mikey was seventeen; Lloyd looked, at the very least, twenty.

"It's a long story," Cole chuckled, smiling. "Come in, and we can tell you."

"Yes," Zane agreed, "you look cold."

"Thank you," Kori said quietly, ducking her head. She grabbed Mikey's hand and led him inside. Both sides would have a long story to tell, but neither realized how much they were about to change.

* * *

A sleek black and white fox-like creature raced through the forest, trying to tread lightly. Two bundles, one with golden fur, the other with black, hung from her mouth, yipping in fear, quivering with cold in the snowy world around them. Their mother could offer them no comfort from the cold; she wasn't like the rest of her kind, with the ability to tame fire, but somehow ended up being cursed with the ability to speak to and control shadows.

"Hey, over here!" A voice called to her through the snow. She just picked out the figure in the distance by the fireside. She held back her deep breaths and tried to keep on her paws, but fatigue was closing in on her fast. "Come on, you can do it!"

She collapsed a few feet from the figure. A man with blond hair and green eyes raced to her side. "I told you not to go to the tribes in this weather," he mumbled, running a hand through the fur on her head with concern. "You could've waited until spring to have the kids named officially by the council. I wouldn't have minded." He took the long cloak from around his shoulders and tossed it over the trembling kitsune, revealing himself to wear a gold and green ninja uniform.

He took the kitsune cubs and put them near the fire, where they squirmed in search of their mother's fur. He then went back and lifted her to sit her down by the fire. A pale light enveloped the creature, and the man quickly grabbed the cubs as only a second after they began to glow. All three transformed into humans; a woman and two chlidren, only babies, nearly newborns at that. Instead of yipping now, the children cried and whimpered.

The man held them close, as well as the woman, closing his eyes. The storm would hopefully be over in the morning, and if not, a search party of four was due to come after them. They wouldn't be out here for too long. Not too long at all.

**Huzzah! The first chapter of the sequel of 'Can't Just Leave It to the Guys'! Do you know how happy I am with how this came out? DO YOU?! **

**Anyway, cookie goes to person who guesses the man and woman at the end. XD Doesn't take a genius kids! Well, the man was originally going to be Lightning (the white tiger creature from the first book), but there was this roleplay, and yeah. :'D**

**~Kaori**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Ninjago doesn't belong to me!**

**A/N: Just wanted to say, the second part... was after a time-skip of three years. This chapter is a fifteen year time-skip after that, so in honesty, a total of twenty-three years has passed since Can't Just Leave It to the Guys ended. **

Chapter One: Fire

"Mooooom!"

A girl with long black hair ran down the hall, huffing as she kept in front of her shorter twin brother, who had blond hair and pale blue eyes. An older, raven-haired woman stepped out of a doorway in front of them, holding a blonde toddler on her hip, and making the two skid to a halt.

"What've you done now, Kaleb?" she sighed.

"Mom, he took my phone and won't give it back!" the girl complained.

"Hush," her mother reprimanded. "I want to hear it from your brother, Rayne." Instantly, the green-eyed girl stepped back, eyes wide at her mother's firm stare that never failed to intimidate.

"I was going to give her phone right back! I just wanted to talk to Derek!" Kaleb protested.

"Jay and Nya's son? Why do you have his number, Rayne?" The woman's eyebrow quirked at her daughter. "I thought you didn't like him."

"I don't know how he got my number, but he called asking about tonight's homework because he knew Kaleb probably didn't remember it either!" Rayne sighed, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Kaleb probably _gave_ him my number, or even Rosalee!"

"How's Rosalee got Derek's number?" Her mother was still giving her that same look.

"She and Derek started going out last week, but that's off-topic! Kaleb still hasn't given back my phone!"

At that moment, the toddler the woman held screamed in delight as the door opened in the hallway behind the woman, and a male voice announced, "I'm home! Is this little family gathering all for me?"

The mother of the household sighed and turned. "Lloyd, the children are fighting again."

"Woah, really?" The blonde grinned. "Don't they usually get over these things quickly? What're they fighting over?"

"Kaleb took my phone!"

"I was about to give it back after I talked to Derek!"

"Did you even hang up on the poor boy?" the woman sighed, giving the toddler to her husband as she reached for him.

"Kori has a point," Lloyd said, raising his eyebrows. "You do tend to be a little forgetful, Kaleb."

Kaleb's eyes widened. "Oops." He put the phone to his ear. "Hey. Derek? Yeah, sorry about that. ... Yeah, I gotta go now. You got the homework, right? ... Okay, bye." He hung up and handed the phone to his sister, who snatched it out of his hand.

"Thank you very much!" Rayne snapped. She turned to her mother, father, and younger sister. "How's Tora, Mom? Is she getting any better?"

"Oh, she still has the sniffles, but she'll be fine." Kori ran a hand through the toddler's hair, and she giggled.

"Mama!" she gurgled, reaching out for her mother.

She planted a kiss on the child's head. "Stay with Daddy for now, okay? Mama has to finish with dinner. Kai and his family were invited over for dinner," she added, glancing at Rayne and Kaleb, "and I expect everyone to be on their best behavior."

"Why are you not looking at dad?" the twins asked at the same time, then exchanged a glance and scowled at each other.

"Because you two are currently the biggest problem," Kori sighed, brushing back her hair as she disappeared back into the kitchen.

Lloyd made to follow her with Tora in his arms, but Rayne's voice made him pause. "Dad!" she complained. "When does ninja training start?"

Immediately, Kaleb muttered under his breath and turned away, racing back up the stairs. "Kaleb, wait," Lloyd sighed, moving to go after him. He glanced at Rayne and shook his head.

She only rolled her eyes and muttered, "Pff. It's not my fault Kaleb can't find an element." She flipped open her phone to dial Rosalee's number, completely ignoring her upset brother. It happened all the time, and he was fine afterwards, so why should she get worked up, too?

* * *

Kai's hands tightened their grip on the steering wheel of the car as the arguement in the back seat continued. "Dad, tell Pippa to stop poking me!" his seventeen-year-old son complained.

"Tell Clary to stop whining!" Pippa sighed, rolling her eyes the way twelve-year-old girls do as she put her mop of dark brown hair into a ponytail.

"Pippa, stop agrivating Clarence," Kai sighed, shaking his head. As a now-single parent, he had it harder than the other guys, but did everything he could to make his childrens' lives the best they could be. The others helped a lot, too. Tonight, he was taking Pippa and Clarence to have dinner at Lloyd's, which wasn't an unusual event. Kai didn't mind accepting help, either, as his budgets had been a little tight since his wife died a few years after Pippa's birth, and it wasn't like he was begging the guys for help. They were his brothers, and they all reached out a hand to help him up in his time of need. He was ever-grateful to them for this.

He was broken out of his reverie by Pippa and Clarence arguing again. This would be a long night, and their sibling rivalry would only deepen when Kai made the announcement that both of them had the fire in them needed to be the new fire ninja.

**So you guys aren't confused: Sensei passed away about three years ago, Garmadon is still alive but sick, Misako also died. Rosalee isn't the kid of any of the ninja, but is Rayne's best friend.**

**Kori + Lloyd = Kaleb, Rayne, and Tora**

**Kai + Sarah (deceased) = Pippa and Clarence (Clary)**

**Jay + Nya = Derek **

**Cole + Evangeline = Triplets (currently unborn) **

**Zane travels the world with his falcon and comes back every month to visit the guys for a week. **

**I hope you all are happy with the way this turned out... My whole writing process just froze... there's this huge block of ice in the middle of the writing section of my brain that made everything just freeze... So sorry if you think this is a little late. :'D **

**~Kaori**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago.**

Chapter Two: Ice

A strong figure cloaked in white surveyed the valley with a smile. A bird flew overheard, letting out a strong cry before swooping down to land on the man's now-outstretched arm. It folded its wings as it landed, shifting to get comfortable before settling. He watched the valley with his human companion, something akin to a smile on his own face.

"Home. It seems like it's been so long since we left," Zane chuckled. "A journey of self-awareness... Sometimes it's hard, but we're getting there, right?" The electronic falcon nodded, tilting his head at a slight angle, as if in curiosity. "But we're only gone for three weeks at a time..." The ninja of ice softly sighed. "I can't leave again. I'm going to stay this time. Besides, last time they said they were getting close to finding who to train to be Ninjago's next protectors. They'll need our help with the next ninja of ice."

The falcon seemed to nod again, though it was barely perceptible, and they set off for the dojo.

* * *

Rayne laughed as Pippa chased Tora around the living room, the two-year-old surprisingly agile on her toddler limbs. Kaleb and Clary were in a corner of the room, sitting on the sofa and mumbling to each other. The adults were still in the kitchen, talking in low voices. Rayne paid no attention to the boys, though. She and Kaleb usually didn't speak for a while after she brought up training. She didn't really care, though, at least that's what she told herself, and she was determined not to let him think that she did, so she simply offered to watch Tora to make sure she didn't hurt herself.

"Guess what, kids!" Lloyd was grinning as he slammed open the door and stride into the room.

"It's no wonder Kaleb has bad ettiquete," Kori commented sourly in a low voice as she walked into the room behind him. "Though I will take full credit for passing on my temper to both of them."

"What?" Rayne asked her father, grinning at her mother's side comment.

"We're going to the circus!" Kai exclaimed jumping into the room with a face radiating excitement, as much a kid as ever.

"Circus?" Tora questioned, looking up at them curiously. "What circus?" Knowing her, she was probably wondering if it was okay to take a rather large bite from it.

Lloyd made a grand gesture with his hands. "It's where there's this big tent, and inside are all sorts of attractions, like animals and extraordinary people doing amazing things you can't see aynwhere else."

"A childhood novelty," Kori added with a soft smile, sitting on the arm of the sofa beside Rayne and scooping Tora into her arms as the toddler waddled her way. "It's something to enjoy while you still believe in the wonder it brings."

"Circuses are stupid," Kaleb mumbled loudly. Kori turned a sharp look to him and opened her mouth to retort and scold him at once, but it was then that the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Rayne said immediately, jumping up and rushing towards it before an argument could begin between mother and son. She wished Kaleb would learn to control his temper, but she knew sometimes she was even worse, even if she didn't like to admit it. She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't even notice she had reached the door until she bumped into it.

Pippa, who had followed behind to avoid the storm she sensed brewing, giggled. "So clumsy, Rayne!" the younger teased.

Rayne tried to scowl, but Pippa had always been her favorite younger kid, except for Tora now, of course. She ruffled Pippa's hair before opening the door. She wasn't expecting the visitor waiting on their stoop, however.

"Uncle Zane!" Pippa was a blur as she tackled Zane in an overly affectionate bearhug. Rayne grinned and waved at him, but by now considered herself too old to be giving out hugs to anyone who wasn't in her direct family. That didn't stop Zane from using one of his arms to pull her into the hug while the other wrapped around Pippa.

"How are my favorite nieces?" he asked jokingly, messing up Rayne's hair as he released them from the hug.

"Uncle Zane, do you have your funny switch turned on?" Rayne asked suspiciously in turn.

"Who, me?" Zane asked, trying to appear innocent but not able to hide the mischievous gleam in his eyes. When Rayne quirked her eyebrows at him, he chuckled, holding up his hands. "Okay, you caught me. But I thought kids liked funny uncles!"

"We like _you_, Uncle Zane," Pippa pointed out. "Funny switch or not." Even as she was saying this he had opened the panel on his stomach and was flipping the switch to off.

"Well, I am glad that I have such considerate little nieces. My brothers' children seem to take after them in accepting me, for which I am exceedingly glad." Zane was back to being veritable and wise as he always seemed to be.

The youngest of the three at the door was peering around outside in confusion, face toward the sky. "Where's your falcon, Uncle Zane? Isn't he usually with you?"

"He's on the roof," Zane explained calmly. "He needed a rest and some time to recharge his solar battery. He will be fine."

Rayne abruptly pulled Pippa aside and moved to the side herself, holding the door open. "Forgive us for being rude, Uncle Zane," Rayne said, bowing her head apologetically. "We've neglected to invite you inside."

Zane smiled. "Thank you very much, Rayne. Your hospitality is welcome. Where are the others?" He stepped over the threshold of the house, Rayne closing the door behind him. Pippa zipped off to the living room, making the other girl laugh.

"Just follow the Pippa," she told Zane merrily, walking toward the kitchen herself. She didn't want to go back in there while there was still a chance a fight might spring up or have already started, even if it would probably end when Zane walked in. _He's back a little earlier than usual,_ she suddenly thought with a frown. _Wonder if something's up?_ She shrugged it off, opening the fridge and pouring herself a glass of milk before walking back to the living room.

"... so I've come to help you train the new ninja of ice when you find him or her," she heard Zane saying as she stepped into the room. "I also thought you may need help to find the others to help you train them?"

"That would be great, Zane," Kori said, giving a kind smile. "Thank you for your consideration. It's really good to see you. Oh! There's a circus coming into town to tomorrow, would you like to come with us? We're taking the kids, but you never know, you might enjoy it too." Her smile broadened slightly. Everyone knew that Zane had been her favorite out of all the other ninja- well, except Lloyd, of course. Despite her usual hot-tempered disposition, Rayne had heard she'd mellowed out a lot over the years. She shuddered just thinking about what her mother must've been like if that was true.

Rayne's thoughts were interrupted by Zane's voice. "That sounds like fun. Are all the other guys going to join us?" He opened a window, which no one questioned, and a moment later the falcon flew in through the open space.

Kai smiled and waved at the falcon before saying, "As far as I know, everyone else is going except Cole and Evangeline. Since the triplets are due any day now, they have to stay home, near the hospital, at least that's what Cole keeps saying. Honestly, I think he has enough food stored for going hibernation while they wait!"

Lloyd laughed and nodded in agreement. "I agree with that. He worries a lot, not that it's a bad thing, but when those kids are older, I feel bad for whoever's their date to prom. Honestly, Cole would probably just as soon interrogate his kids' dates than try to get along."

"And the kids'll want their personal space eventually," Pippa chimed in with a jocular grin.

"True, but we'll see how it goes, right?" Zane smiled reassuringly. "Cole will be a wonderful father. Now, what time is the circus?"

**Up until now, these have been filler chapters (for the most part)! But the next chapter WILL be more exciting/important to the plot. Okay? Okay. **

**~Kaori**


End file.
